Matthew 25:40 “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

In the post (click here for the full post), they basically cover 7 different ideas with details and web links.

- Caring for the needy doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

- Create “bags of hope”

- Give a baby shower for a crisis pregnancy center

- Donate business suits that can be worn for job interviews

- Take meals to a sick person and his or her family

- Rock babies at the NICU of your local hospital

- Write notes of encouragement to inmates

- Paint or decorate an emergency foster care placement room

Again, click here for the full post

Obviously there’s a ton of other ideas. Feel free to leave some below

John 17:20-23

Jesus Prays for All Believers

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

I also read an incredible post on DesiringGod.org from Rick Gamache about the last hours of Jesus.

You can read it here

This is by no means an exhaustive list of quotes, but just a few that stand out to me. Enjoy!

“What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.” — C.S. Lewis

“The homemaker has the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose only – and that is to support the ultimate career. “ — C.S. Lewis

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis

“What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what kind of a person you are” — C.S. Lewis

“The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.” — C.S. Lewis

“We are all fallen creatures and all very hard to live with” — C.S. Lewis

“Of course God knows what will happen if we use our freedom the wrong way. Apparently he thinks it’s worth the risk.” — C.S. Lewis

The very man who has argued you down, will sometimes be found, years later, to have been influenced by what you said” — C.S. Lewis

“Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.” — C.S. Lewis

“If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world” — C.S. Lewis

“God whispers in our pleasures, but shouts in our pain.” — C.S. Lewis

“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” — C.S. Lewis

“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” — C.S. Lewis

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” — C.S. Lewis

“Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” — C.S. Lewis

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” — C.S. Lewis

“The natural life in each of us is something self-centred, something that wants to be petted and admired, to take advantage of other lives, to exploit the whole universe.” — C.S. Lewis

“[The natural life] knows that if the spiritual life gets hold of it, all its self-centredness and self-will are going to be killed and it is ready to fight tooth and nail to avoid that.” — C.S. Lewis

“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” — C.S. Lewis

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” — C.S. Lewis

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” — C.S. Lewis

“No one can settle how much we ought to give. I’m afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.” — C.S. Lewis

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.’ — C.S. Lewis

“There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.” — C.S. Lewis

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say “infinitely” when you mean “very”; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” — C.S. Lewis

“Die before you die. There is no chance after.” — C.S. Lewis

“God doesn’t want something from us. He simply wants us.” — C.S. Lewis

“The truth is, what we call interruptions are precisely our real life, the life God is sending us day by day.” — C.S. Lewis

“The 1st step to humility is to realize you are proud. To think you’re not conceited, means you are indeed” — C.S. Lewis

“An old saint, being asked whether it is easy or hard to love God, replied: “It is easy to those who do it” — C.S. Lewis

“It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to” — C.S. Lewis

“When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him” — C.S. Lewis

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” — C.S. Lewis

“We read to know that we are not alone.” — C.S. Lewis

“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me.” — C.S. Lewis

“God can’t give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing.” — C.S. Lewis

“Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning…” — C.S. Lewis

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” — C.S. Lewis

“Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” — C.S. Lewis

Got any quotes you like that I didn’t add?

Want to learn more about C.S. Lewis?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

For the record – that verse is AWESOME.

It sums up brilliantly what was done, what was seen, and what we all received.

What an amazing gift that was. One we didn’t and still don’t even deserve.

The best presents weren’t thrown down a chimney. They weren’t wrapped up and placed strategically under a tree with a red bow.

The best present was unique.

It was perfect.

A perfect sacrifice.

A gift of divine love, from a Father who is all knowing, all loving, all merciful and all just. A gift of life eternal, for those who choose to accept it.

Christmas is a day of joy. Our lives were changed forever by that one gift we received on Christmas Day, over two thousand years ago.

Thanks be to God our Father, for our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

He is worthy of EVERYTHING.

How are you spending your Christmas this year?

I want to give thanks to you on this lovely Fall November day.

Honestly though, I’m really not sure where to start. You do so much for me that I’m literally blown away. The miracles I see daily are only mere reminders of your amazing glory. I’m breathing right now because you give me breath. I’m able to type this note only because you’ve generously given me hands that work and a mind that can form words together into sentences. Unfortunately though, I’m unable to arrive at any real words to describe my thanks to you. So I’ll use what I know for now.

Thank you for being so loving. For showing me how to really love not just my family and friends, but the people around me.

Thank you for being so just. You leave me with absolutely no doubt of your righteousness as the one true judge.

Thank you for being so merciful. Even when none of us really deserve it.

Thank you for being so powerful. I can’t even imagine anything as glorious as you.

Thank you for giving me light. Especially in places where only darkness once lived.

Thank you for showing grace. Even teaching me how to show it to others.

Thank you for your sovereignty. All the peace you give to your sons and daughters of faith.

Thank you for your Spirit. He leads me and I can only pray I will always follow.

Thank you for Jesus. The sinless man who gave up everything for us, so that we may be with you.

Lord, I thank you for seeking me out. For taking me in, even though I avoided you for so long. I’m grateful beyond words for your undenying presence in my life.

I want nothing more than to dwell in your presence forever and ever.

Your servant and son,

Jason

My favorite part of my drive home everyday is seeing God's handiwork in the sky.

The book for Roman’s is AWESOME. There really is so much to get out of it.

Lately I’ve seen my kids be able to memorize fairly big chunks of scripture within an hour. I feel a little jealous. I’m pretty sure I can’t live up to that. Either way, I think it’s time to commit all of chapter 8 to memory. Ok – maybe I’ll just start with this first passage and see how long it’ll take

Here’s the first part “Life Through the Spirit”

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Feeling inspired yet?!
Click here for a look at the rest of the passage (it’s not too long to read right now).

I took this shot while walking in the woods in Little Rock with my family.

Loved how the light was shinning through the tree tops.

Another great reminder of God’s glory and creation.

I stumbled across this launch event where Francis talks about the series. It’s broken up into 2 different videos, but I think it’s worth the 20 minutes or so.

I think Francis really hits the mark with these thoughts. As someone who reads the Bible as truth, I constantly wonder how far we’ve strayed today. These 2 videos are the guts of his talk.

You can buy the videos here at the Flannel Store. I think it might be a good Community Group / Small Group study. Also, the first video was some Q&A and you can find it here.

Some would say “no way”, we sin way too much.

But as followers of Christ, I believe that’s what we should be shooting for.

To be righteous before a holy God. To be as sin-free as possible before our sinless Creator.

 Be concerned not with what you have accomplished but over what you might have accomplished if you had followed the Lord completely.

A.W. Tozer

Today, we want what’s good for us. We want an easy life filled with fun and little to no work (do I hear an Amen?).

But is our culture really that different from the Old Testament days? It wasn’t long before Israel started worshipping other gods after Joshua led them into the Promised Land (Joshua). The Israelites continually fell back into sin and forgot who their real God was (Judges).

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.

Judges 17:6

Jesus calls us to a different moral standard. Unfortunately, that moral standard isn’t what our culture really seeks.

So let’s not make excuses on why we do certain things that…don’t seem to be “Jesus–like”. Let’s not try so hard to - not - be “religious” that we end up not being like Jesus.

I think not being ordinary has it’s benefits. Jesus definitely stood out. I don’t think many would say he was ordinary.

We need to be more like Him, in all we do and all we say and all we are.

The closer we get to God, the more we can recognize our own sin.

And thanks to His grace, we can repent and be forgiven. Over time, He can miraculously change our behaviors, and even our hearts.

A few weeks ago I heard about this group called Cafe 1040 and was inspired.

There are two basic reasons… 1. they are focusing on the next generation 2. they are trying to live out the Great Commission. As followers of Christ, we all have a duty to live out the Gospel.

I designed a quick visual call-to-action.

 

Here’s a way you can help sitting at your computer…

 

Café 1040 is a ministry dedicated to seeing the Great Commission completed by mobilizing new missionaries to serve among the peoples who do not know Jesus.  Currently, most missionaries serve among peoples who DO know Jesus.  Through a 3-month program within closed countries (hostile to the Gospel) in Muslim North Africa and unchurched Asia, young adults are exposed to the real life of a missionary among unreached people groups.  They learn the skills needed to serve long-term, and are discipled by Café 1040 staff in order to gain clarity on God’s missional purpose for their lives.  Currently, 81% of Café 1040 graduates are either serving or are preparing to serve among the unreached.  That’s huge! They literally are taking the Gospel to the ends of the Earth! (www.cafe1040.com)

Each year Café 1040 hosts a fundraising to help fund the program. This year, it’s a golf tournament. The funny part is: I definitely DO NOT play golf. But if God wants me to try, then I’ll most definitely give it a wholehearted effort!

I’ve committed to participate in this Golf Challenge, taking place on October 14^th.  My goal is to raise at least $1,000 for Café 1040, to help see that the Gospel is taken to those who have never heard it before (the unreached people).  Would you consider a tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more to help me reach this goal?

Giving is quick and easy!

Option 1: Give online with a credit card by clicking on this link: https://secure.nuepoint.com/cafe/golf_donation/index.php.  Be sure to enter my name (Jason Davenport) in the box that says “Name of Golfer.” 

 Option 2:  Mail a check made out to “Café 1040” with my name on the memo line to PO Box 110, Alpharetta GA, 30009.

If you would like more info on the Golf Challenge, click on the following link to be taken to the Challenge website: http://www.cafe1040.com/golf_challenge.php.

And if you’ve made it this far down, thank you for taking the time to read this.

If you have a specific amount of money you already tithe, consider using some of that toward this cause – even if it’s a small amount. Café 1040 will use every dollar to advance God’s kingdom.

If you can’t give now, I covet your prayers for these young people who are dropping everything, in order to spread the love of Jesus.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.“

Matthew 28:18-20

In His name -

Jason Davenport

 

 

“In his heart a man plans his course, 
but the LORD determines his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9

Just think on that for a minute. Crazy right?!

Do you ever look back and say to yourself, “How did I get here, that’s not what I had planned?”

I used to always be looking forward to something.
Achieving that goal I set for myself, getting that next big project, or even getting past a client phone call. I imagined everything being different after I got past that moment and on to the next thing.

However, most of my eagerness and anticipation was not filled with pure excitement. Nope, it had a dash of uncertainty rolled up with a little anxiety. And when something didn’t go the way I had planned…UGH! Now I can add a hefty does of “let down” on top of it all.

Sure, we can plan and plan, but in the end we go where God wants us to.

When I forget about myself and I look at things through a “God lens”, everything looks considerably different, and much clearer.
I don’t feel the pressure of that “what if”, “what then”, “when can I?”, and eventually the “what now?”.

When I look at each day as something that was given to me by God and God alone, I feel humbled and quickly put back in my place. I realize I can’t control everything. Thank heavens God is merciful and forgiving to crazy people like me!

And even though that’s not a big surprise (that I can’t control everything), there’s a LOT less pressure on what MY vision is for tomorrow or the next day. I only hope I can walk in step with His will. I hope my plans aren’t really “my plans“, but the plans He’s laid out for me.

Good or bad, I feel peace when I realize I’m where God wants me to be.

This week I’ve asked myself – What can I learn from this place I’m at? and how can I grow more on my dependance for Him?

To live a truly free life, is to live by faith.
I believe Christ is ready and waiting to show me what to do next.

But I really cannot believe these photos of the current East Africa drought I stumbled across on Denverpost.com.

Even though I know this is only 1 thing going on in a beautiful and broken world, the sadness is truly overwhelming.

No matter how many times you see famine, destruction or something of this sort and no matter where it is taking place, if it’s down the street or across the world, things like this are alarming.

It makes me wonder…shouldn’t the perspective of knowing about these things or even just seeing these things – be life changing?

I know that I feel confused and often burdened by the mere fact that I can get up right now and walk 10 feet to the fridge and drink as much water as I want. Filtered even. Or grab a quick snack before my lunch.

1 Peter 4:10

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

So I ask…please, oh Holy God – help us help the poor people everywhere who are in such need. Help us see their pain and react with compassion, not simply just “turn the page” or “switch it off”. Lord let us love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us care for the needy and help the sick Lord, show us the way.

A Somali man who fled violence and drought in Somalia with his family sits on the ground outside a food distribution point in the Dadaab refugee camp. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

Take a minute and look at these photos of the East Africa drought and pray God will help us know what to do and how to react.

Although while I try to align my priorities with His, I struggle. It’s hard to know what is right, or what is wrong, or what I should keep focusing on day by day. I continually ask for His guidance and that He will give me the wisdom to know what to do. Sometimes things are pretty clear, sometimes they aren’t. I crave those times when things seem right. I take that as the Spirit’s leading and I try my hardest to have the courage to follow Him, wherever He may take me.

My wife, kids and I all memorized this Pslam recently. I know this is a fairly well known Pslam, but I felt it is a fitting one to share as it’s summing up the last couple months of study and prayer.

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Looks like Francis Chan has a new book coming out to discuss the topic. By this video, it sounds like it’ll be interesting.

What do you think?

Anyway, today my wife sent me this one particular story and said – “you have to check this out”.

Well, she was right. It’s an incredible story. It’s well worth the ten minutes, I promise!

The video is called Whispering Danny.

More about “I am Second“:

I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.

This is the verse that came to my mind after watching the video.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Let me know what you think.

I watched a video which was basically the “story” of an old skateboarding legend. His name is Tony Alva. Mainly, I liked him for his unique style (and the cool designs of the skate decks). I didn’t know him though. As a kid, I only saw a tiny view of who he was in Thrasher magazine. Like most people I come into contact with, I had no idea what he was really like.

This is his story. It’s about his walk with fame, drugs, alcohol, money and whatever else you can think of. But in the end, it seems he found God and found salvation. I love the how he’s all about giving back now. I think it’s awesome that he may spend the rest of his life here trying to make a difference. Kudos to Van’s for making the video.



This verse reminds us that He is in control. We can try all we want to get things “right”, but in the end, only our Heavenly Father can give us true peace and joy.

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

I can’t begin to say how my life has changed, or at least make it short enough for anyone to read . But take my word for it, I was born one year ago (not 30-something years ago). Everything is new. Everything is amazing. And honestly, everything is hard. I’ve been pursuing Christ and He’s been growing my faith every day. But to my surprise, what was first muttered as “I want to know more about you,” has really turned into a love story.

It began with a simple desire to know more about God. But as time passed, I grew more and more dependent on my time with Him. My faith turned from a dim light into a burning desire for HIM. I began to see Him for who He really is…the Creator of all things; heaven and earth; you, me and you; and everything in between. And the crazy part…HE wants MY love! WOW – that alone is mind-blowing.

I used to be the guy who doubted the miracles written in the Bible. I’d heard them, but like many, never read them for myself. But either way, that stuff seemed bonkers! AND the bigger question I had was, why doesn’t He do things like that now?

Well, I can’t even tell you how many miracles I’ve seen in the last 365 days. I’ve witnessed first-hand a man who ALWAYS doubted religion, who turned into a dedicated follower of Christ. I’ve seen a man who cared about personal success, turn into a man who wants to humbly serve his Maker, and give every possession away. I’ve seen this same man deal with stressful situations with an unbelievable peace. This same guy, one year ago, was fine watching or listening to certain things…..but is now completely repulsed by them. His judgement of others has fallen by the wayside. Pity and compassion replaced anger. I’ve even witnessed the actual presence of God – I have felt him WITH me as I pray.

I know I may sound crazy, especially if you don’t know me. In the end it is ME, in my own heart and in my own head, that realizes the extent of my transformation. The new birth I experienced one year ago has resulted in miracle after miracle, and He honestly never stops showing up.

This verse seemed to stick out to me today while reading. It’s from John 14:12-14.

Jesus said -

¹² I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

So it’s at this point I’ll go ahead and confess it’s me I’ve been writing about.

I am a human witness to a godly miracle in present day America. Miracles still do happen, by the grace of God. I’m living proof.

I love you, Lord Jesus. Thank you for opening my eyes and my heart. I look forward to a lifetime of talking to you, praising you and serving you.

In fact, the Holy Spirit is the only Godly part of my body. Sure, I was made by God for God, but when I asked Jesus into my life, my so-called “reason for being” changed pretty dramatically.

There’s NO WAY I can do anything righteous on my own. Only God can do it through me. That’s why I think the Holy Spirit is SO COOL! I mean, He guides me away from sin. He flushes out the dirty water and puts the pure water of Truth in its’ place to help water the seed. Through the Spirit, I grow.

And let me tell you, I sure am glad that the Spirit doesn’t listen to me, ever.

If He did, I’d still be standing at the door, saying I believe, but never really growing. Through the Spirit, I’m able to read and understand God’s Word. I can’t do that by myself. In fact, I used to hate reading altogether! A really good pastor doesn’t help much with God’s Word, either. Sure, I get fired up by listening to David Platt or Francis Chan, but it is ultimately God, working through His Spirit, that aligns my will with His, giving me the ability to act on that inspiration.

James 2:22

²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

I continue to pray for greater dependence on the Holy Spirit that God has placed in me. It’s only me who holds “me” back from giving God the glory. Which is my biggest struggle!

I’m thankful to Christ for what He’s done. For giving us what we never could have done alone, and what we certainly don’t deserve.

I want to be the good soil. I don’t want to be the hard rocks or the thorny bushes that His seed falls on. I want my life to be fertile for God, so he can use me however he needs to.

Luke 8: 4-8

⁴ While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

So then, as I went in to kiss my daughter Ruby, Samantha, who had just finished reading said excitedly, “Ruby just told me she wants to ask Jesus into her life!” A smile instantly struck my face. It was about to be a moment I’ll never forget.

My wife wrote this note which I’m taking the liberty of borrowing. She’s better with words than I am, anyway.

——————————><>

“We are amazed at how God continues to work in our lives. Through the witness, encouragement, and support you’ve extended to us over this last year, our family continues to grow in such unbelievable ways.

All week, Ruby had been showing interest in formally giving her life to Jesus. She’d asked many questions about how it works, and whether she was part of God’s family yet. I told her that we’d sit & talk about it this weekend.

Then, tonight, when we opened her devotional, God so providentially made tonight’s message about salvation (not surprised!), and being “adopted” into God’s family.

The scripture was Galations 4:4-6 (one of my favorites!). After the devotion, Jason & I just sat beside Ruby & shared in her prayer, asking Him into her life. It was so precious, and so heartfelt. What a gift from God – he gave her the desire, and the ability to trust him with her sweet little life.

January 8th: a new spiritual birthday to mark on the calendar. Hooray!

I recently came across the spiritual meaning of Ruby’s name: it means “Full of Grace.” And the scripture associated with it? Psalm 26:3. “For your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.”

What a blessing – Ruby’s walk begins today!”

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There’s a good bit of REJOICING going on over here at the Davenport house right now. Pretty sure there’s some angels in heaven singing, too. Anyone else feel like jumping?!